Police Blotter

An officer responded to the lobby of the police department in reference to a theft of a motor vehicle. Dispatch advised that the reporting person was possibly intoxicated. The officer met with the man, who was sleeping in a chair in the lobby; he woke him up and noted a strong smell of alcohol on his breath and his speech was very slurred. The man told the officer that the night before, he was at the library when he was possibly rolled. He stated that he was missing $150, the keys to his vehicle, and his vehicle. When asked who rolled him, the man stated, “those (expletives)” and when asked to provide names, he said that he didn’t know and was too drunk to remember. He was unsure if he was actually rolled. The officer did not see any visible injuries on him. The man described his car but did not know the license plate number for his car or enough information for dispatch to find his vehicle registration. The officer asked the man to get his vehicle information and to sober up so they could make the report. The man stated that he was missing his car and $100 and wanted a report written. The officer agreed but said that he still needed the vehicle information, to which the man responded, “(expletive) you” and left the police department. Due to the level of the man’s intoxication and lack of information, the officer was not able to obtain enough information to enter the vehicle as stolen.

An officer was in the parking lot of Dolores State Bank when he heard yelling coming from across Park Street. He shined his spotlight across the street and witnessed a male subject wearing a light-colored hoodie punching another person who was lying on the ground in City Park. The person on the ground was yelling. The subject in the hoodie began running across the park. The person on the ground got up, and the officer noted that he was bleeding from the mouth. The officer gave chase and the suspect was apprehended a short distance away and handcuffed. The suspect claimed that there were “12 to 15” other males in the park and “they were hitting on my girl” and “trying to grab my girl’s (expletive).” The suspect stated that he did not know why the officer was chasing him, and then admitted that he knew it was because “of what I did over there.” The suspect admitted that he had been drinking. The victim appeared to be intoxicated and said he did not know what had happened to him; he refused medical attention. The suspect’s girlfriend arrived and said that she had just gotten off work and agreed to meet the suspect at the video store to rent a movie, and saw the officer chasing her boyfriend when she was on her way there. She stated that she had not been approached or harassed by anyone. The suspect was transported to jail and charged with 3rd degree assault and obstructing a police officer. He was left in custody.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22

An officer met with a reporting party in the lobby at the police station regarding a stolen license plate. A woman told him that her plate had been stolen from her car, and the DMV would not issue her a new plate until she reported her current plate as stolen to the police. She said that the last date she had seen the plate was three months ago when it had been repossessed from her residence at the time. It had been taken to a repo impound lot in Denver, and she discovered the plate was gone when she picked up the vehicle. The people at the impound lot said that it wasn’t on the car when it arrived there. The reporting party was advised to try to contact the towing company that had repossessed the car to inquire about the plate. The plate was then entered by the police as stolen.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22

An officer on patrol on West 7th Street noticed a truck sitting stationary facing south on S. Broadway. The truck was positioned partially in the left turn lane, and partially in the lane of traffic. After the officer passed, the truck turned onto 5th Street. When the officer came back, he found the same truck parked stationary at a stop sign one block east for approximately 30 seconds, though there was no traffic. The officer followed the truck as it meandered around the neighborhood in a random manner, turning into oncoming lanes of traffic, and the officer activated his flashing lights in an attempt to pull the truck over. The truck failed to pull over, so the officer activated his siren. The pickup eventually stopped, and the officer contacted the driver, who showed several indicators of intoxication and told the officer he had had half of a beer and had only come from down the street. He then told the officer he came from work at the hospital, and that he was trying to find his house and had only lived in Cortez for three days. He was asked to step out of the vehicle, and when he opened his door, the officer noticed that he did not have his shoes on and his shorts were hanging down, partially exposing his buttocks. The subject put his flip-flops on and exited the truck, barely maintaining his balance. The subject told the officer that his dad was a retired Los Angeles County sheriff, and asked the officer to give him a break. When asked to perform voluntary roadside maneuvers, the subject lost his balance and almost fell to the ground. He then said, “(expletive) it, let’s just go.” A check through dispatch showed that the subject’s driver’s license was denied in Colorado. He was arrested and charged with numerous moving violations, and was left in the care and custody of jail staff.

An officer was dispatched to Walmart for a shoplifting complaint. Dispatch advised that the suspect had left with a case of beer and was then involved in a traffic accident while leaving the Walmart parking lot. A store associate had followed the male out of the store with a 12-pack of bottled beer, and yelled at him to stop as he walked westbound through the parking lot. The suspect than began running toward the street with the stolen beer, and then ran southbound on Sligo Street. At that time, another associate advised that the suspect was part of a group of two or three people who were still sitting in an SUV, pointed out by the employee, that was still parked in the Walmart parking lot. The vehicle was described as a silver Chevrolet Suburban with Arizona license plates. The employee said that the suspect vehicle began backing up and collided with a parked vehicle, and then headed south on Sligo to pick up their friend who stole the beer. The theft and collision in the parking lot were caught on surveillance video; the video and still photos of the suspect captured by the video were printed out. The video was placed into evidence. At the time of this report, there were no named suspects or leads.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23

An officer was dispatched to a residence for a disturbance and assault. Dispatch advised that the suspect had left. The officer contacted two women at the scene. One of them, the reporting party, who was bleeding from the mouth, told him that she was at the residence with her female friend, and the friend’s boyfriend had come to the door and appeared very angry. Her friend told him not to come into the residence and that she would talk to him through the screen door. The suspect then pushed his way through the door and began hitting her friend, knocking her down, and was on top of her, hitting her. The reporting party attempted to get the suspect off her friend, and he shoved her against the wall and punched her in the mouth. She also stated that the suspect had pulled over a heavy stereo speaker on top of them and that her 5 month-old child was nearby. The officer then spoke with the suspect’s girlfriend, who said she really did not want to make a statement. She stated that “he punched me and she got into it” indicating her friend, the reporting party. She also said she agreed to speak with the boyfriend through the screen door and attempted to lock it, but wasn’t able to get it locked in time. The officer could see visible injuries to her face as well, but she would not allow him to photograph them for evidence. She stated that she had been in a relationship with the boyfriend for four years. At that point, the female became uncooperative and refused to assist in completing domestic violence paperwork, although she did admit that there were other children present during the incident. A warrant was issued for the arrest of the boyfriend for one count of 3rd degree assault on the reporting party, and one count of 3rd degree assault and one count of domestic violence on the girlfriend, plus an additional count of 1st degree burglary.